In pictures: Stewart and Cobert’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

Thousands of people have gathered on the National Mall for the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. The brainchild of comedians and fake newscasters Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, the event called for “people who think shouting is annoying, counterproductive, and terrible for your throat” to gather on a “date of no significance whatsoever” &#151 never mind that it’s the Saturday before the midterm elections.

Seriously though, the rally feels more like a rock concert than anything else.

Here’s a look at the crowd from the ground level.

The DC metro system decided not to open early for the Rally. As a result, rally goers stuffed subway cars to the gills Saturday morning. And the escalator up to the Mall was no piece of cake either.

No one is sure yet about how many people will show up for the Rally. The event permit anticipated 60,000 people. Facebook had 230,239 people down to attend, but anyone who’s ever hosted a party using Facebook knows to expect a drop-off. However, the Mall is like a giant mosh pit right now and people are still arriving.

Meet Pat Coller from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “Make sure you get my white hair in the frame,” she requested, adding, “It’s great to see so many people here, especially young ones. I hope they remember to vote.”

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Stewart and Colbert both insisted the Rally was not political. Some attendees got the message and used the opportunity to be a little (or a lot) silly. Remember: it’s Halloween weekend, which explains some but not all of the costumes.

Others? Not so much. Fox News, especially Glenn Beck, and the Tea Party were popular targets on signs. Others called for everything from marijuana legalization to campaign finance reform.

Speaking of news organizations, Comedy Central received an astounding 1,000 requests for media credentials. 400 were given out.